Keep Your Eyes Open

Do you believe that the apostle Paul crafted and wrote prayers according to the will of God?   Even the will of God - for you?   I believe it, so when he writes this in Ephesians 1, I believe that it applies to what the Lord would want for me:
17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,18the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,19and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power...

God wants us to open up our eyes - to be people of discernment, who do not walk through life blinded to what the Lord would show us or the needs of people around us.   He desires to give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation, consistent with His truth.  As we know Him better, he will enlighten our understanding, and we will grow in Him.   God want to instill a sense of spiritual sensitivity in our hearts and minds.

If we train ourselves in the Scriptures, we can be more sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and to what God would show us each day.  Proverbs 2 talks about this important spiritual training:
1My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you,2So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;3Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding,4If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;5Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.

The head groundskeeper of a golf course in Ashland, Ohio made an alert discovery the other day.  Jim Willis was picking up trash on the course and said that he "noticed something," according to a report on Fox8 Cleveland.

It was - of all things - a wallet.  And, not nearly a new one.   There were a driver’s license and college ID, dated from 1990.   The assistant manager of the pro shop at Brookside Golf Course, Jim Howell, said:

“I said this is so cool that we found this. I think I’m going to put a note on my Facebook page, and that we found it and that it is about 20 years old. A friend of mine on Facebook came back and said ‘I think I know the guy you are talking about.’”

The wallet's owner, Kevin Gibson, said that, “A friend that I had went to school with saw the post, reached me through Facebook and told me that they had found a wallet with my name on some of the stuff inside of it."

It was 1994 when then-24-year-old Kevin Gibson of Ashland, who was fresh out of the military and was enrolled at Ashland University, lost his wallet.  He said, “I remember riding in a golf cart through the golf course. After that, it was when I realized that I didn’t have my wallet anymore. I remember thinking ‘oh no, not again.’ It was like the second or third time in my life that I had lost my wallet.” 

Kevin Gibson was found 6 hours after the original Facebook post.  The story does not say how much cash may or may not have been in it.

I think this discovery of something that had been hidden for some 20 years can provide some spiritual encouragement for us.   For one thing, it illustrates the importance of keeping your eyes open.  Oddly enough, scores of golfers had walked in the vicinity of that spot for two decades.   But, on that day recently, the groundskeeper noticed something, and it turned out to be a rather sentimental find.  Spiritually speaking, we can acknowledge that God may have something to show you today, but we may miss it if we're not in tune with him.

I thought about a book title from Andy Andrews, The Noticer.   His website contains this quote, "Many people ignore ‘small stuff,’ claiming to have an eye on the bigger picture, never understanding that the bigger picture is composed entirely of small stuff."   I think that we can train ourselves to slow down and sensitively look around us, carefully - to become more of a noticer.  We can have our eyes completely on ourselves or on our daily agendas or activities and lose our perspective - a good dose of spiritual sensitivity can be beneficial to us.

 

Not only can our eyes be open and perhaps trained to be more cognizant of the world around us, but I do believe that God is calling us to be diligent searchers for His truth.  The Bible speaks of seeking His Word like silver - carefully mining the Scriptures to find what He has to teach us.   By making a devoted effort to learn what God has to teach us in His Word, we can grow and continue to train ourselves to be more connected to His Spirit.

 

Crossing Over Into Life

There's a passage of Scripture that lays out the importance of our being obedient to share our faith and give people the opportunity to receive Jesus as Lord.  It begins in 2nd Corinthians 5 and crosses over into chapter 6:
20Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.21For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
1We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.2For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Now is the day - today could be the day that someone whom you engage in conversation or for whom you prayed, enters into eternal life with Jesus Christ through salvation.   You have been called; you have been sent - to share the message, to radiate His love, to be a shining and compelling example of what God can do, because He has done it in your life.  Sin has brought about brokenness, a departure from God's design, but through accepting the gospel and believing on Jesus, a person can change the course of his or her life and begin to recover and pursue God's design.  (That's based on a new guide and app called, the "3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide.")

In Romans 10, we see the prescription for salvation, the method by which a person can enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ:
9...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.11For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.13For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Today, the Southern Baptist Convention kicks off in Baltimore.  Traditionally, a pastors' conference precedes the opening of the convention, and the weekend prior to the start, a "Crossover" event is held, joining together churches from the host city, along with volunteers from numerous churches across the nation.

This year's Crossover event featured some 36 Baltimore-area Baptist churches that joined arms with nearly 2,000 volunteers from 18 states and Canada to serve the Baltimore community and share Christ with its residents, according to a report on the Baptist Press website.

One event was a block party hosted by Northeast Baptist Church, encompassing volunteers from churches from Mississippi and Virginia, as well as Baltimore.  That event included a presentation by a group of professional Christian athletes called the Strength Team and drew residents from the surrounding row houses.

Crossover Baltimore mobilization and logistics director Cindy Irizarry witnessed a mother and son give their lives to Jesus through the Strength Team's witness. She described the effect on the volunteers: "It was glorious to see so many of our church members and pastors so enthusiastic...You could see the hope and the excitement in their faces. To see volunteers, both local and from everywhere, come to serve -- it was exciting."

Captivate Christian Church, a Southern Baptist church plant, hosted Community Day in Patterson Park drawing about 8,000 neighbors and netting 1,700 new perspective families for the church.

One of the venues where seminary students served was the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware's Collegiate Ministry beach volleyball tournament held at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Bob Mackey, Embrace Baltimore executive director, said, "It was a marvelous day on so many fronts...One of my favorite highlights this week is having over 200 students from six seminaries volunteering the equivalent man hours of one person working 5.4 years full-time in Baltimore and sharing Christ with compassion, grace and determination."

At many of the Crossover Baltimore sites seminary students were putting into practice what they had received training for earlier in the week -- the "3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide." The guide is a new resource from the North American Mission Board. An app version can be found at sendnetwork.com or namb.net/3circles. 

Recognize that if we are doing the work of Christ and following His Great Commission, we can experience incredible excitement as the result of seeing people come to know the Lord.  As one of the Crossover leaders said, volunteers were joyful at their participation in spreading the gospel.   And, God has given us a variety of tools that can help us as we can share our faith.  One is the "3 Circles" guide I mentioned earlier.   There is a printed guide and a phone app that can help lead someone into a conversation about spiritual things.   It begins with God's Design, the first circle. Through sin we depart from God's design and experience Brokenness, which is represented by the second circle.  But the good news is that we can escape brokenness by repenting of sin and believing in - the Gospel, through which we can recover and pursue God's Design.  

Perhaps you have recognized that you are not walking in God's design for your life.  Your life is represented by brokenness because of sin.  You want to be free.  You can follow His path to salvation - confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead.  You pray a simple prayer and ask Jesus to become the Lord of your life.

Two Congregations, One Church

The apostle Paul addresses our unity as believers in Christ in Ephesians chapter 4, challenging us to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  He writes:
4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;5one Lord, one faith, one baptism;6one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

He is above, through, and in us - what a great perspective as we realize what the Lord has done inside each of us, and as new creations in Christ, those who have called upon His name are internally the same - it's just the externals that can give us a problem.  I believe God directs each of us to have a mindset that acknowledges that while we may have physical, cultural, racial, or denominational differences, we all belong to Him and we can seek ways to forge a greater understanding with one another.

Galatians 3 gives us a picture of how we are called to be one body in Christ Jesus, to put aside those things which could divide us and concentrate on our identity in Him, which can unite us:
26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

In Rock Hill, South Carolina, Bethel Baptist Church discovered that their sanctuary had been deemed to be unsafe to meet in any longer.  According to a report on the Breaking Christian News website, one of the deacons approached the pastor of another church in town, Second Baptist, about sharing spece.   After a unanimous vote, the two churches now meet at different times in the same building, sometimes even sharing worship experiences.

What is really cool, and instructive, about this set of circumstances is that Second Baptist is predominately white, and Bethel is predominately black.

Second's pastor at the time, Bob Porterfield, said, "It was unanimous to bring Bethel here...All were for it. And it has turned out to be an experience that has enriched us all."

Rev. Robert Crawford of Bethel agreed, noting that color has never been a barrier since the merge. He said, "Our experience here [at Second Baptist] has been amazing and wonderful."

The report notes that the two churches "have continued to operate distinctly, with separate service times, and Bethel continues to make plans to raise money to have its own sanctuary again in the coming years. But they often share worship experiences and there is crossover between the congregations. There is no 'us and them'—only 'we.'"

When the day comes to move into their new house of worship, Rev. Crawford believes their spirit of unity with one another will remain.

"The relationships we have created here will last forever," he said.

The BCN story was linked to a piece on The Gadsden Times website from the Herald of Rock Hill which drew national attention.  The piece says that when Porterfield, at age 81, stepped back from so much responsibility last year at Second Baptist, the church interviewed the Rev. Mark Bradley about taking over as senior pastor. Bradley was asked by church members whether he had any concerns with keeping the arrangement with Bethel.

Bradley is quoted as saying, “I was proud to come to a church that shows that Jesus Christ is the savior of us all...Jesus looks at the heart of a man, not at his color. This church shows that to be the only way.”

I think this story can speak to all of us about the way we regard people different than we are.   It reinforces for us that we are all part of the body of Christ - even though we may have different worship styles or approaches to ministry, if we are Christians, we all serve the same Lord.   These churches have maintained their own identities, but there is a unity between them that has been forged.

Generally, I think we can be motivated to pursue a path of unity with those who name the name of Christ.  The enemy would want to keep us separated, in our own little Christian enclave, without an appreciation of the greater formation of the body of Christ.  But, God has a better way for us, a way in which artificial divisions are obliterated and the reality of the risen Christ drives our fellowship.

The Importance of a Good Forecast

How we need the wisdom of God to navigate the challenges of our lives!  He will teach us the importance of relying on Him and inform us regarding our decisions.  We cannot predict the future, but through His wisdom and our experience, we can anticipate possible outcomes resulting from our actions.   So, we heed Isaiah 55:
6Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.7Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.8"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.9"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

We have access to a wisdom that is not our own and in fact, is far superior to earthly, or human, wisdom. Rather than act impulsively or make decisions on a whim or without careful forethought, God is inviting us to consult with Him, to seek His face, and to get a sense of His very thoughts. He has made powerful resources available to us, and calls us to walk in His ways.  A good forecast can be highly instructive for us, and knowing God's direction can enable us to avoid the negative consequences of uniformed actions.

In Proverbs 16, there are several sentences that can serve to remind us of the sovereignty of God and the importance of surrendering our decisions to him.  Let's start with verses 1-3:
1The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.2All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits.3Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.And, a companion verse is found in verse 9:9A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

This is the 70th Anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, marking a turning point in World War II.   But, did you know that the invasion was originally scheduled for June 5th?   But, weather conditions were uncertain, and General Eisenhower's staff meteorologist gave a very wise piece of advice, even though other forecasters disagreed.

USA Today had the story earlier this week.  Group Capt. James Martin Stagg, defied his colleagues, he advised Eisenhower to postpone the invasion by one day.  A new book by author John Ross — "The Forecast for D-Day" — sees that forecast as a pivotal moment in world history.

Ross writes, "A bad forecast would jeopardize the entire operation...If he gave the word to 'go,' and the weather turned sour, the lives of thousands of men and massive amounts of equipment would be lost.  He notes, "If he did not go and the weather was good, Germans might have spied the massive build-up in southern England and the elements of the invasion fleet headed for Normandy. The odds that the Allies' plans would have been discovered would increase exponentially."

Stagg and his fellow British and American meteorologists were operating without any of the technology and equipment that today's forecasters take for granted, such as satellites, weather radar, computer modeling and instant communications.

Ross projects that had the invasion remained June 5, heavy seas, high winds and thick cloud cover from a potent storm centered north of Scotland would likely have caused the invasion to fail and set world history on a different course.

While far from perfect, the weather on the morning of June 6 was good enough for the invasion to proceed successfully.

Had the mission not gone on June 6, the next window would have been a full two weeks later, when tides and moonlight were right. On that day two weeks later, a completely un-forecast gale would have caused the invasion to fail.

Ross said that had the invasion failed, the secrecy about when and where the Allies would land would be lost, victory in Europe would have been delayed for a year, and the Soviet Union might have taken control of the continent.

It's all about processing the facts and making a good forecast.

Predicting the weather can be an imperfect science.  Just witness what meteorologists experienced earlier this year when the snow and ice that had been forecast to miss Birmingham and Atlanta actually barreled into those cities.    

Predicting how things will turn out for us in our lives is next to impossible.  But, it can be instructive for us in our decision-making processes to attempt to project the consequences of our actions.   

For one thing, we know that the outcome of sin is never beneficial.  The Bible mentions the pleasures of sin for a season - because we know that at the end of the season, we will reap what we have sown.  Our sins have consequences, and even though we may not know exactly what may transpire if we participate in ungodly behavior, we can know that there are numerous possible outcomes that could be destructive to our lives.  And, a person can be absolutely convinced that to reject Christ and choose a sinful lifestyle will result in eternal punishment - the wages of sin is death.

We also recognize that careful planning and sound tactics can bring satisfactory outcomes.  The old adage says that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  And, that's so true - I don't believe that God calls us to meander haphazardly through life; rather, He desires for us to seek His wisdom, to prayerfully consider options, and to recognize the consequences of our actions.   God will illumine our minds as we intentionally allow Him to set the course for our lives.   And, our experience and the wisdom of the Word can help us make a reasonable forecast of what could happen if we take certain actions.

And, finally, our timing is fallible, but God's timing is perfect.  It's been said that timing is everything.  And, the time to act may not be according to the schedule that we have set.  On D-Day, Eisenhower delayed the invasion by a day because of the weather conditions - he had a good forecast available to him.   If we are impulsive or rush into an activity exclusive of the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we can face the possibility of encountering a negative outcome.   We can train ourselves to wait upon God.

The Word of God and the Spirit of God can help us anticipate what could occur if we make certain decisions - a good forecast can be a wonderful thing!

The Search for Awakening

The Bible speaks frequently about our dependence on God's strength when we encounter adversity.  An example is found in 1st Peter 4:
12Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;13but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.14If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

This is a great passage that shows us the attitude that we can possess when we are facing trials in our lives. The challenges will come, but we can know that God is desiring to do a greater work - to develop His nature in us and to produce glory for Himself.   Even though things might be tough, He gives us the capacity to rejoice.  We can be confident that as we walk with Him in His Spirit, we can know that He is actively producing fruit in our lives.

The apostle Paul was transformed internally by the presence of Jesus, but externally he went from being the persecutor to being the persecuted.  But he loved Jesus so much and he kept his focus on Him. We read in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4:
8We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--10always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

This week, the commemoration of seminal event in world history is taking place, in addition to the the anniversary of D-Day, which is coming up tomorrow.   It was 25 years ago when quite a contrasting event occurred in Beijing, China, when a large group of student protestors gathered in Tiananmen Square and were confronted with violence.

This significant date causes me to think about the spiritual journey of Bob Fu, the Founder and President of China Aid and the author of a gripping book called, God's Double Agent.  Fu is involved in helping to provide assistance and even rescue for Chinese people who have found themselves at odds with the oppressive government there.  He is perhaps best known for orchestrating the rescue of blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng a few years ago.

Melanie Kirkpatrick, who was on The Meeting House recently, reviewed the book for Christianity Today last year, and wrote this:

China is not the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian, but, as God's Double Agent chillingly describes, Chinese Christians must live out their faith in a hostile environment. Beijing does not ban Christianity outright. Instead, it seeks to control it. It does so by various means, including channeling worshippers into official, government-sponsored churches; banning the printing of Bibles; limiting church-based social services; and monitoring the activities of religious leaders. Christians go to jail for distributing religious materials, founding unlicensed house churches, opposing abortion, criticizing the government, and other perceived transgressions.

Count Bob Fu guilty of all such "crimes." As Mr. Fu recounts in God's Double Agent, he and his wife Heidi fled China for the U.S. in 1997 after being tipped off that the police were planning to arrest them. They had already spent time in prison for their illegal religious activities and were not eager to repeat the experience.

She writes that...

Mr. Fu became a Christian shortly after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, when government tanks rolled over student protestors. He was a college student at the time and had taken part in the pro-democracy rallies in Beijing. "Those tanks didn't force China's brightest and most culturally engaged students back into conformity," he writes. "The tanks set them on a course to find truth." A friend gave him a biography of a Chinese intellectual, Xi Shengmo, who converted to Christianity and performed good works.

Mr. Fu quickly learned the necessity of being discreet about his new faith.

In the review, Melanie Kirkpatrick relates the event that Bob Fu calls his "spiritual Tiananmen":

In Beijing, he and Heidi attended a government-approved church until the authorities removed the popular pastor, who had been successful in growing the congregation. The Fus showed up at church one Sunday and found that the religious affairs bureau had installed a new pastor in the pulpit and undercover police agents in the pews. The new pastor "didn't even mention Jesus," he recalls.

He concluded that, "the 'ultimate lord' of the government-run church is communism" and "God had no place in it."

I was drawn to the statement by Bob Fu that the government's response to Tiananmen actually did not set student on a course of silence - he said, "The tanks set them on a course to find truth."

In America, even though we are seeing what I believe to be increasing instances of restrictions on religious freedom, we are not - yet - finding ourselves staring into the end of a rifle or a tank.  But, in light of the promise of Scripture that those who desire to live godly will encounter persecution, we have to ask ourselves if we are prepared for it.   Does or would resistance drive us to silence or does it motivate us to speak out with a greater devotion to Christ?   I think it's important to examine our lives and see if we would really be ready to stand in the face of opposition with a bold witness for Christ.

In the midst of our trials, I hope we would be motivated to search more deeply for truth.  We cannot allow our trials to defeat us and force us into despondency - we must allow the Holy Spirit to do His perfect work in our lives.  God has an intended work through adversity, and even though we may not understand it, that should not keep us from willingly submitting to whatever He wants to do in us to bring forth Godly character.    There may be hard times, but we can know there is One who walks with us.

Gambling on the Future

The Bible directs us in Ephesians 4 to put off the works of the flesh, those things that do not please God, that are reflective or are consistent with our old nature - who we used to be - and to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, allowing Him to control our actions.  We pick up in verse 22...
22that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
In verse 27, we're told to not give place to the devil, and then in verse 28, it says:28Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

The Bible lays out strong principles of responsibility and the importance of work.   There are all sorts of things that the world promises that would cause us to pursue a greedy path, a path of idolatry where we depend on self or even chance, rather than God.  You could try to take a shortcut to material possessions instead of trusting God.  But, He calls us to a sense of dependence on Him, to do our work as unto Him, and to live a holy life that is free from idolatry and greed, recognizing that what we possess are gifts from Him.

In Isaiah 65, we find a passage of Scripture that can is consistent with the premise that hearts are lured away from God through the practice of gambling.  Here is the New American Standard translation of verses 11 and 12:
11"But you who forsake the LORD, Who forget My holy mountain, Who set a table for Fortune, And who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny,12I will destine you for the sword, And all of you will bow down to the slaughter. Because I called, but you did not answer ; I spoke, but you did not hear. And you did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight."

This is one of a number of Scriptures that I believe addresses Biblical principles that are violated by gambling.

During my tenure here at Faith Radio, which just rolled over the 23-year mark last week, one of the prevalent public policy subjects on which I have commented, conducted interviews, and encouraged action on is the topic of gambling.  Like clockwork, year after year, the work of the Alabama Legislature was heavily influenced by attempts to expand gambling in our state.   Even though voters convincingly turned back a state lottery in 1999, there is still discussion over that possibility.  In an attempt to influence public policy, you have the occurrence of gambling interests funding political campaigns.

Faith Radio has maintained its strong stand against the practice of gambling throughout the years   A former ministry partner announced a policy shift last year that would allow its employees to gamble. Our Board of Directors responded by asking the Chairman of the Board of Trustees to rescind the decision. That did not take place, and our Board voted to sever that relationship.

We are so appreciative of the letters, phone calls, and e-mails of support for that decision, and we believe that decision has led to the improved quality of our programming lineup, the increase in locally-produced shows, and the continued level of trust that Faith Radio has attempted to build throughout the years.


Our strong stand on the topic of gambling is one that is rooted in the Scriptures.   Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries points out these four elements of how gambling violates the principles of the Bible:

1 - The Bible emphasizes a number of truths that conflict with gambling.  The Bible, for example, emphasizes the sovereignty of God (Matt. 10:29–30). Gambling, however, is based on chance. The Bible admonishes people to work creatively and for the benefit of others (Eph. 4:28), while gambling fosters a something-for-nothing attitude. The Bible condemns materialism (Matt. 6:24–25) while gambling promotes it.
Also, gambling breeds a form of covetousness, whereas the tenth commandment (Exod. 20:17) admonishes people not to covet. Coveting, greed, and selfishness are the base emotions that entice individuals to gamble.

2 -  Gambling destroys the work ethic. Two key biblical passages deal with the work ethic. In Colossians 3:23–24 the apostle Paul wrote, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." And in 2 Thessalonians 3:7,10, he stated, "For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. . . . For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

3 -  Gambling destroys families.  Kerby points out that gambling is a major cause of family neglect.  Many of the social costs associated with gambling come from a get-rich-quick mindset. As people get caught up in a gambling frenzy, they begin to neglect their families. Money spent on lottery tickets or at racetracks is frequently not risk capital but is income that should be spent on family needs. According to 1 Timothy 5:8, a person who refuses to care for his family is worse than an unbeliever. Parents must provide for their children (2 Cor. 12:14) and eat the bread of their labors (2 Thess. 3:12). When gambling is legalized, it causes people to neglect their God-mandated responsibility to care for their families, and many of those families then often end up on welfare.

4 - Gambling is a form of state-sponsored greed.  Romans 13:4 teaches that government is to be a servant of God, providing order in society and promoting public virtue. Legalized gambling undercuts government's role and subverts the moral fabric of society through greed and selfishness promoted by a state-sponsored vice.

A sermon outline provided by our friends at ALCAP, the Alabama Citizens Action Program, centered around Isaiah 65:11, states that when we gamble to change the outcome of our lives, we turn from God, we turn to false gods, and we give to others what belongs to God.    The false gods are identified as "Fortune" and "Destiny."   The practice of gambling violates a number of Biblical principles, and does not reflect solid Biblical stewardship.

Cannot Be Silenced

Before He even went to the cross, Jesus used the word picture of the cross to illustrate sacrifice and devotion to Himself.  In Mark 8, we can read:
34When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.35For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.36For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

So important that we reflect on the significance of the cross.  On the cross, Jesus laid down His life for us.   Jesus became our substitute on the cross - taking upon Himself the penalty for sin.   As we identify with the cross, we recognize that we are called to lay down our lives for Him.   We are told that we are crucified with Him - we are to no longer live for ourselves, but to live for Him.  He is now our life, because He has made salvation and new life available to us through the cross and through His resurrection.

In 1st Peter 2, the writer lays out the significance of the cross and the amazing power of what Jesus did for us there on Calvary:
21For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:22"Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";23who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;24who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.

Pictures have emerged from China on that country's version of Twitter, called Weibo, that show the removal of crosses from church buildings.  Christianity Today, in its "Gleanings" section, published some photos, along with a lengthy report on the removal of religious symbols, even the demolition of church buildings, including a megachurch in the city that has been called, "China's Jerusalem," Wenzhou.

It cites a report in The Telegraph, which has chronicled the plight of Christians and churches in China's southeastern province of Zhejiang this spring, which reports that six churches so far have been completely or partially destroyed. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) lists 18 churches and two hospitals that have been targeted, demolished, or had crosses and religious symbols removed or destroyed. And China Aid documents the number of threatened or destroyed churches—in Zhejiang as well as neighboring Anjui province—at 64, with photos of many of the incidents.

This widespread destruction of churches and crosses has caught the attention of leading Chinese scholars, ministers, and lawyers. An impressive group of more than 50 gathered at Purdue University in early May to draft the "Purdue Consensus on Religious Freedom." Concerned by the lack of a "clear definition of and sufficient protection for religious freedom" in China, the consensus outlined China's need for more protection of religious rights.

Chinese officials, however, are stressing that demolitions are taking place because the buildings were not built according to regulations. But CSW notes that doesn't quite ring true when only crosses or symbols are involved.

Indeed, these are sad pictures depicting the removal of crosses from church buildings.  And, even in America, there is a campaign to remove crosses and religious symbols from the public eye. Remember, a Federal judge has already ordered the removal of a large cross at a Veterans' memorial on Mount Soledad in San Diego.  And, the saga of a small cross in the Mojave Desert was quite bizarre - in the midst of court action, the cross was encased in a box, it was ultimately deemed constitutional, but stolen, and after a delay, about a year and a half ago, a cross was placed back in that location.   There have been numerous instances of Ten Commandments monuments or displays being contested, and an attempt to remove "In God We Trust" from our currency was turned back by a Federal court last week.

Such are the times that we live in.  And, as you'll hear Dr. Ben Carson talk about on The Meeting House, it's important that we are not intimidated into silence regarding our deeply-held beliefs.   We have the ability to speak out, and it's important to take the opportunity - that includes voting today.

And, in the symbolic sense, as some Chinese Christians have commented, according to Christianity Today, that the church is not a building.  And I agree - the church building is where we meet, by and large, but the true church of the living God, is the people, connected through the blood of Christ, engaged in fellowship with one another and in ministry to the community.   It is still chilling to me to see officials demolish church property or decor, but even though a cross might be separated from a building, the power of the cross cannot be separated from God's people.

The church has endured persecution throughout the ages - many have attempted to wipe out the witness of the church.  But it has survived, and continues to in powerful ways. You can attribute it to the fact that God's truth is enduring, His Spirit is powerful, and His love is compelling.   It's a testament to the presence of Christ that the church continues to make its impact on the world and that the people of God have the opportunity to grow in Christ.

So, remember - one may try to remove a physical cross, but the power of the cross still lives in our hearts. You might try to remove the 10 Commandments from a wall or display, but the truth of God's law abides in our lives.  You may try to keep someone from saying or reading a motto, but we can continue to speak and mediate on God's Word.  And, even if you're told you can't pray - God says you can; anywhere, anytime - He is with us!